Snowplow formed of thermoplastic

ABSTRACT

A snowplow assembly may include a snowplow mechanism having a mold board, a structural frame and a scraper blade all formed substantially of a thermoplastic. The mold board and structural frame may be molded together. An alternate snowplow assembly may include a mount assembly having a blade mount assembly, where the mold board, structural frame and blade mount assembly are all formed substantially of a thermoplastic. The mold board, the structural frame and the blade mount assembly may be molded together.

This application claims priority to U.S. Ser. No. 60/826,444, entitledSNOWPLOW FORMED OF THERMOPLASTIC, filed Sep. 21, 2006, which isincorporated herein by reference.

I. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Field of Invention

This invention pertains to the art of methods and apparatuses forsnowplows and more particularly a manner of forming snowplow assemblycomponents substantially of thermoplastic.

B. Description of the Related Art

It is known in the art to include a snowplow on the front of a vehiclefor displacing snow, sleet, ice and the like along a roadway, drivewayor other paved surface. Generally, a snowplow assembly will include asnowplow mechanism including a curved mold board that is used to contactthe snow and a mount assembly that is used to mount the snowplowmechanism to the vehicle. It is known to form mold boards of a plasticmaterial and to form some components, such as scraper blades, of rubber.Typically, however, the majority of snow components are formed of metaldue to the heavy loads and general wear and tear endured by their use insnow removal. Such known snowplow assemblies work well for theirintended purpose. A known problem, however, is that known snowplowassemblies are relatively heavy and thus not suitable for light vehiclessuch as automobiles, mini-vans and support utility vehicles (SUVs). Whatis needed is a snowplow assembly that can withstand the loads requiredto remove snow and yet is light enough to be canned by a light vehicle.

II. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a snowplow assemblyincludes a snowplow mechanism having a mold board, a structural frame,and a scraper blade all formed substantially of a thermoplastic.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a snowplowassembly includes a snowplow mechanism having a mold board and astructural frame, and a mount assembly having a blade mount assembly,wherein the structural frame and the blade mount assembly are formedsubstantially of a thermoplastic.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a snowplowassembly includes a mount assembly having a support assembly, a housingmount, and a lift mount assembly, wherein the support assembly, thehousing mount, and the lift mount assembly are formed substantially of athermoplastic.

One advantage of this invention is that the snowplow assembly can beformed substantially of thermoplastic material and thus it is lightenough to be carried by a light vehicle.

Another advantage of this invention is that the snowplow assembly can beformed easily and efficiently.

Further, another advantage of this invention is that components of thesnowplow assembly can be formed substantially of a thermoplastic andmolded together.

Still other benefits and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains upon a readingand understanding of the following detailed specification.

III. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement ofparts, embodiments of which will be described in detail in thisspecification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form apart hereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a snowplow assembly according to one embodimentof this invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the snowplow assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 butshowing the blade mount assembly detached from the support assembly.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the snowplow assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 butshowing the support assembly detached from the housing mount.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view similar to that illustrated in FIG. 1and showing the reattachment of the support assembly to the housingmount.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along lines 5-5 in FIG.1.

FIG. 6 is a fragmental side view of the snowplow assembly illustratingthe stand on the blade mount assembly in a support position.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing the stand on the blade mountassembly in a retracted position.

FIG. 8 is a detached front perspective view of the housing mount.

FIG. 9 is a further detached exploded front perspective view of thesupport assembly and housing mount.

FIG. 10 is a still further detached from perspective view of the blademount assembly without the snowplow mechanism.

IV. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes ofillustrating embodiments of the invention only and not for purposes oflimiting the same, FIG. 1 shows a vehicle 30 equipped with the inventivesnowplow assembly 10 of this invention. The snowplow assembly 10 may beused for snow removal operations such as those encountered in plowingdriveways, parking lots, roads, etc. It should be noted that while thesnowplow assembly 10 of this invention is much lighter in weight thanpreviously known snowplow assemblies and thus especially useful forrelatively light vehicles 30 such as automobiles, mini-vans and supportutility vehicles (SUVs), it can be used with any vehicle 30 includingtrucks, tractors or the like.

With reference to FIGS. 1-4, the snowplow assembly 10 may include asnowplow mechanism 12 having an inwardly curved mold board 46, agenerally longitudinally extending structural frame 42, a scraper blade44 which may be attached to the bottom of structural frame 42 and adeflector flap 140 which may be attached to the top of the mold board46. The snowplow assembly 10 may also include a mount assembly 20 thatis used to mount the snowplow mechanism 12 to the vehicle 30. The mountassembly 20 may be made up of four principal components, namely ahousing mount 200, which is secured to the frame members 32 of thevehicle 30 (it may be positioned under and rearwardly of the vehiclebumper 34, as shown), a support assembly 250 secured to the housingmount 200, a blade mount assembly 40 secured to the snowplow mechanism12 and to the support assembly 250 and a lift mount assembly 310 whichis also secured to the support assembly 250.

In order to reduce the overall weight of the snowplow assembly 10,applicants have discovered that many of the components described in thelast paragraph, as well as all the components discussed below and othercomponents as well, can be formed substantially of a thermoplastic. By“formed substantially of a thermoplastic” it is meant that theparticular component is formed primarily of a thermoplastic but thatrelatively small portions of the component may be formed of anothermaterial. As one non-limiting example, the housing mount 200 may beformed of a thermoplastic and yet include one or more openings withmetal ferrules inserted into the openings to permit bolts or otherfasteners to be used to attach the housing mount 200 to the framemembers 32 of the vehicle 30 in a known manner. Such a housing mount 200would be formed substantially of a thermoplastic according to thisinvention. If the proper thermoplastic is used, then the snowplowassembly components will function very well and yet will provide a netweight loss—making the snowplow assembly 10 well suited for use on lightvehicles. By “light vehicles” it is meant vehicles not previouslythought to be appropriate for snowplow assemblies such as automobiles,mini-vans and SUVs.

While the particular thermoplastic used to form the snowplow assemblycomponents can be any chosen with sound engineering judgment, in oneembodiment the thermoplastic is formed in a process whereby highly drawnthermoplastic fibers are heat treated to selectively melt every surfaceof the fibers. The melted material bonds the fibers together to give asingle material type with molecular continuity between phases. In oneembodiment the thermoplastic material is sold under the trademark CURV®which is owned by Propex Fabrics GMBH, Corporation of Germany,Düppelstrasse 16 Gronau, Germany 48599.

In one embodiment, the structural frame 42 of the snowplow mechanism 12may be detachably secured or attached to the A-frame 50 of blade mountassembly 40. In another embodiment, both the structural frame 42 and theblade mount assembly 40 are formed of a thermoplastic. In yet anotherembodiment, the structural frame 42 and the blade mount assembly 40 aremolded of a thermoplastic together. In yet another embodiment, both thestructural frame 42 and the blade mount assembly 40 are formedsubstantially of CURV®. In yet another embodiment, the mold board 46,the structural frame 42 and the blade mount assembly 40 are all moldedof a thermoplastic together. In still yet another embodiment, the moldboard 46, the structural frame 42 and the blade mount assembly 40 areall formed substantially of CURV®. The A-frame 50 is best shown in FIG.10. The A-frame 50 includes a support cross-over arm 51 having journals52 connected to the two ends of the cross-over arm 51. The two journals52 include journal holes 54 for securing the A-frame 50 to the supportassembly 250. The A-frame 50 also includes two struts 56 which areconnected at one end to the cross-over arm 51 and at the other end to amount plate 58. Mount plate 58 includes a lift bracket 60 having bracketholes 62. The bracket holes 62 are designed to receive a rope or chainso that the blade mount assembly 40 can be lifted and/or lowered by thelift mount assembly 310. Mount plate 58 includes an upper portion 64 anda lower portion 68, each of which include aligned openings 66, 70respectively.

With reference now to FIGS. 1-4, an arcuate bar 150 is used tointerconnect the snowplow mechanism 12 to mount plate 58. Arcuate bar150 includes an arcuate shaped top portion 152 and two leg portions 154attached to the top portion and extending outwardly therefrom. A supportbar 156 is secured between the two leg portions 154 to providestructural integrity to the arcuate bar 150. The arcuate bar 150 alsoincludes a mount landing 158 having an opening. The mount landing 158 isdesigned to be inserted between upper portion 64 and lower portion 68 ofmount plate 58. The arcuate bar 150 is connected to the mount plate 58by aligning openings 66, 70 in mount plate 58 with opening in mountlanding 158 and then inserting a bolt 162 through the holes. Thisconnection allows the snowplow mechanism 12 to pivot about the openings66, 70.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 1-4, the top portion 152 of arcuatebar 150 is held in a downward position by top plate 76. Top plate 76 issecured to mid-brace 74. Top plate 76 allows the arcuate bar 150 topivot from side to side about openings 66, 70. The back end of struts 56include cylinder brackets 102 for mounting a cylinder 100 in bracketopenings 106 by a bracket bolt 104. The other end of cylinder 100 issecured to cylinder brackets 168 that are connected to leg portions 154of arcuate bar 150. The cylinders 100, which are mounted on each side ofthe A-frame 50, permit angling of the snowplow mechanism 12 aboutopenings 66, 70 so that the latitude of the snowplow mechanism 12relative to the vehicle 30 can be skewed to discharge snow from one sideor the other of the snowplow mechanism 12.

Still referring to FIGS. 1-4, arcuate bar 150 is connected to snowplowmechanism 12 to allow the snowplow mechanism 12 to also rotate in aforward and backward direction. At each end of leg portions 154 is apivot opening 164 which pivotally connects to pivot trunnions 49 thatare connected to the back face of the snowplow mechanism 12. Acurate bar150 includes two trunnions 160 connected to each leg portion 154. Eachtrunnion 160 has a trunnion opening 162. Snowplow mechanism 12 alsoincludes two trunnions 170 secured to the structural frame 42 and/orcurved braces 118. Trunnions 160, 170 provide for the mounting of spring172 which maintains the snowplow mechanism 12 in an upward position.When scraper blade 44 engages an obstacle in the roadway, snowplowmechanism 12 pivots about arcuate bar 150 against the action of the twosprings 172, which returns the snowplow mechanism 12 to its normalposition after passing over the obstacle. The tension of springs 172 isadjusted to a conventional manner by adjustable arms 174 threaded totrunnion 170.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 1-4, the structural frame 42 of thesnowplow mechanism 12 may include a longitudinally extending topmounting member 110 which extends the length of the mold board 46, alongitudinally extending bottom mounting member 114 which similarlyextends the length of the mold board 46, and a plurality of transverselyspaced inwardly curved braces 118 which extend between and are securedto the top and bottom mounting members 110, 114. Both mounting members110 and 114 include mounting holes 112, 116 respectively to enable themounting members to be secured by mount bolts 120 to mold board 46 ofsnowplow mechanism 12. In practice, mounting members 110 and 114 areL-shaped structures which include one leg radially extending from backsurface of snowplow mechanism 12. Braces 118 are also structurallyangled components which are oriented to have an L-shaped or V-shapedcross-sectional configuration. The braces are commonly welded to boththe mounting members 110 and 114.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 1-4, the mold board 46 may be formedfrom a thermoplastic material into a curvilinear shape. In anotherembodiment, the mold board may also be formed from metal. The scraperblade 44 has a bottom edge which is designed to contact the roadway topicking up snow in a known manner and is secured to curve braces 118and/or bottom mounting member 114 by a scraper bracket 43. Scraper blade44 commonly extends on the complete longitudinal length of the bottomedge of the snowplow mechanism 12. The mold board 46, structural frame42 and the scraper blade 44 may be formed substantially of athermoplastic material and, in one embodiment, the mold board 46 andstructural frame 42 are molded together. In another embodiment, the moldboard 46, structural frame 42 and the scraper blade 44 may be formedsubstantially of CURV®. The mold board 46 may be formed to have anarcuate segment having a radius which is dependent on the size of thesnowplow mechanism 12. As best shown in FIG. 1, the top edge of snowplowmechanism 12 extends beyond the top mounting member 110 of structuralframe 42 until the plane of the inside surface of the plow blade is oris closely parallel to the ground surface G.

Still referring to FIGS. 1-4 attached to the top edge of snowplowmechanism 12 is a deflector flap 140. Deflector flap 140 extendsdownwardly from the top edge of snowplow mechanism 12 and functions as abarrier to snow and other debris which are traveling along the upperinner surface of snowplow mechanism 12 during snowplow operation andprevents such snow and debris from being propelled from snowplowmechanism 12 at high velocities. Deflector flap 140, in one embodiment,is secured to flap bracket 142 which in turn is secured to the top edgeof snowplow mechanism 12. Flap bracket 142 may include bracket openings144 to allow bracket bolts 146 to secure the deflector flap 140 to theflap bracket 142 and to secure flap bracket 142 to the top edge ofsnowplow mechanism 12. In another embodiment, the deflector flap 140 maybe formed substantially of a thermoplastic. In another embodiment, thedeflector flap 140 along with the mold board and structural frame aremolded of a thermoplastic together. In yet another embodiment, thedeflector flap 140, the mold board and the structural frame are formedsubstantially of CURV®. A skid bracket 130 having a threaded bore 132for adjustably receiving a skid plate 134 may be secured to the bottommounting member 114.

Referring now to FIGS. 6, 7 and 10, the A-frame 50 may include a stand90 which is mounted between two parallel positioned stand flanges 80.Stand flanges 80 are secured at one end to support cross-over arm 51.The other ends of the two stand flanges 80 are connected to flangebraces 82 which are in turn are connected to struts 56. A flange plate84 secures the top end edges of the stand flanges 80 together. Eachstand flange include three flange openings 86 which are aligned to oneanother and are designed to mount stand 90 in a support position and aretracted position. Stand 90 includes a stand shoe 94 and a plurality ofstand openings 92 to adjustably secure stand 90 to stand flange 80. Astand pin 96 is used to secure stand 90 to stand flange 80 and a pinclip 98 is designed to be positioned in a pin opening 99 for securingstand pin 96 in a secured or locked position. Referring specifically toFIG. 6, stand 90 is in a support position whereby stand shoe 94 engagesthe ground surface G and elevates the back end of the A-frame 50 fromthe ground surface G. Stand 90 is positioned in the support positionwhen the blade mount assembly 40 is to be attached and/or detached fromsupport assembly 250, and/or when support assembly 250 is to be attachedand/or detached from the housing mount 200. FIG. 7 illustrates the stand90 in the retracted position and is maintained in such position when thesnowplow assembly 10 is in use. As can be appreciated, holes 86 arepositioned in such a manner that stand pin 96 can be used to mount thestand 90 in the support position and in the retracted position. As bestillustrated in FIGS. 2-4, stand 90, when used in conjunction with skidplate 134 supports both ends of the A-frame 50 and the snowplowmechanism 12 in an elevated position so that the blade mount assembly 40and/or support assembly 250 can be easily attached to and/or detachedfrom the housing mount 200. In one embodiment the stand 90 and standflange 80 are formed substantially of a thermoplastic.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 8, the housing mount 200 is shown as beingsecured to the underside of the vehicle 30. As shown in FIG. 1, twosupport struts 202 are attached at one end to the vehicle frame members32 and the other end of support strut 202 is secured to bracket plate218 and is secured by bolts secured within plate opening 219. Thehousing mount 200 also includes a frame plate 204 which is secured byplate bolts 206 to frame members 32. The frame plate 204 and supportstruts 202 rigidly secure mounting bracket 210 to frame members 32 andrearwardly of bumper 34. Referring specifically to FIG. 8, the twomounting brackets 210 are secured together by bracket brace 216, armbracket 226, and bracket plate 218. These three structures maintain therigidity of the mounting brackets 210 while supporting the other membersof the mount assembly 20. In one embodiment, housing mount 200 is formedsubstantially of a thermoplastic. In another embodiment, housing mount200 is formed substantially of CURV®.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-5 and 8-9, secured to the inside surface ofeach of the mounting brackets 210 is a landing 220 having a C-shapedstructure. Landing 220 is designed to receive a portion of the supportassembly 250 as will be described below. Landing 220 includes a lowerlip 222 which angles downwardly from landing 220. Landing 220 alsoincludes an arm bracket which extends from the upper edge of the landingand angles upwardly from landing 220. Extension arm 224 is supported inposition by arm bracket 226. Both arm bracket 226 and bracket plate 218have an L-shaped configuration to provide additional rigidity to thehousing mount 200. The bracket brace 216, landing 220, lip 222 extensionarm 224, arm bracket 226, and bracket plate 218 may be welded or moldedto the inner surface of the two mounting brackets 210. Mounting bracket210 also includes support openings 230 and 232. Support opening 230 isdesigned to align with an opening in a portion of the support assembly250 to thereby secure the support assembly 250 to landing 220. Supportopening 232 is designed to align with another opening in the supportassembly 250 to rigidly secure the support assembly 250 to the housingmount 200. Support opening 232 may include opening supports 234 on bothsides of the opening to reinforce the opening and reduce the amount ofwear within the opening.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 1-5 and 8-9, support assembly 250 mayinclude a pair of inner legs 260 and a pair of outer legs 262. The innerlegs 260 and outer legs 262 may be laterally spaced apart. A leg brace264 may secure each pair of inner legs 260 and outer legs 262 together.A leg flange 272 may be secured to the inner side of each of the innerlegs by a leg flange 272 which in turn is connected to a leg bar 274.Leg flange 272 may be welded or molded to the inner side of the leg andleg bar 274 may be welded or molded to the inner side of leg flange 272.Inner legs 260 and outer legs 262 include a plurality of openings forsecuring the support assembly 250 to the housing mount 200 and toconnect other components of the mount assembly 20 to the supportassembly 250. At one end of the inner leg 260 and outer leg 262 is alanding opening 266. Spaced from landing opening 266 is journal opening268. Spaced from journal opening 268 is an upper support opening 270.Connected to the exterior side of outer leg 262 is a pin housing 280,282 and 284. Pin housing 280 includes housing openings 286 which arealigned with landing opening 266. Pin housing 282 includes housingopenings 286 which are aligned with journal opening 268. Pin housing 284includes housing openings 286 which are aligned with upper supportopenings 270. Pin housings 280, 282, and 284 are designed to maintain apin 290 within the pin housing. Pin 290 includes a pin stop 292 radiallyextending from the surface of the pin 290. Pin 290 also includes a pinopening 296 to receive a pin clip 294. Pin stop 292 limits the movementof pin 290 within pin housings 280, 282, and 284 so as to prevent thepin 290 from being completely removed from the pin housing. Pin clip 294is designed to secure pin 290 in the extended position whereby the endof the pin extends into landing opening 266, journal opening 268 and/orupper support opening 270. The positioning of pin 290 within the pinhousing is best illustrated in FIG. 5. In one embodiment, the supportassembly 250 may be formed substantially of a thermoplastic. In anotherembodiment, the support assembly 250 may be formed substantially ofCURV®.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-4 and 9, the lift mount assembly 310 also maybe formed substantially of a thermoplastic. The lift mount assembly 310may include a pair of lift legs 312 laterally spaced from one another. Asupport bar 314 may secured between the two lift legs 312 which in turnsecures the lift legs 312 to the inner leg and outer leg 260, 262 of thesupport assembly 250. As illustrated in FIG. 9, lift leg 312 may be anextension of inner leg 260 of support assembly 250. In an alternateembodiment, not shown, lift leg 312 is a separate component from innerleg 260. As can be appreciated, when lift legs 312 are separatecomponents from inner leg 260, lift legs 312 can be mounted to supportbar 314 in a manner that the lift legs 312 are permanently affixed tosupport bar 314 with respect to inner legs 260 of the support assembly250, or can be adjustably positioned with respect to the inner legs 260so that the angular position of the lift mount assembly 310 with respectto the vehicle 30 and with respect to the support assembly 250 can beadjusted. In one embodiment, the support assembly 250 and the lift mountassembly 310 are molded of a thermoplastic together. In anotherembodiment, the support assembly 250 and the lift mount assembly 310 areformed substantially of CURV®.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 1-4 and 9, lift legs 312 have aplurality of leg openings 313. Secured to one set of leg openings is alift bar 320. Lift bar 320 includes a pair of bar brackets 322 laterallyspaced from one another. Each of the bar brackets 322 may have a bracketopening 324. As shown in FIGS. 1-4, an actuator 330 may be secured tothe lift mount assembly 310. A pair of actuator brackets 316 pivotallysecure the base of the actuator 330 to support bar 314. The piston 332of actuator 330 is secured to lift arm 340 within bracket openings 322by a pin, bolt or the like secured through bracket openings 324 andmount opening 346. The end of lift arm 340 may include a lift hook 342to secure to a rope or chain 360.

One operation of the snowplow assembly 10 will now be described. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, support assembly 250 is secured to housing mount200. Connected to the support assembly 250 are blade mount assembly 40and lift mount assembly 310. As previously discussed, housing mount 200may be permanently affixed to frame members 32 of vehicle 30. Thehousing mount 200 may be positioned on frame members 32 such that all ofthe components of housing mount 200 are positioned below and rearwardlyof the front end of bumper 34. Consequently, when support assembly 250is removed from housing mount 200, the components of housing mount 200cannot be seen by an individual unless the individual looks under thevehicle 30. Therefore, during non snowplowing months, the originalaesthetic qualities of the vehicle 30 are retained when support assembly250 is removed from housing mount 200.

The snowplow assembly 10 is designed so that the components of the mountassembly 20 can be easily attached and/or detached from the vehicle 30in a multitude of ways. As shown in FIG. 1, support assembly 250 may besecured in housing mount 200. Support assembly 250 may be simply securedto housing mount 200 by positioning the end of inner leg 260 ontolanding 220 until landing opening 266 in inner leg 260 and outer leg 262are aligned with support opening 230. Once these openings are aligned,pin 290 is moved in pin housing 280 and is inserted through all theopenings. Pin clip 294 may then be inserted through pin opening 296 tosecure the pin 290 in position. This procedure is repeated on the otherset of inner leg 260 and outer leg 262 of support assembly 250. Supportassembly 250 is then rigidly secured to the housing mount 200 byaligning upper support opening 230 on inner leg 260 and outer leg 262with support opening 232 on mounting bracket 210. Once the openings arealigned, pin 290 in pin housing 284 is moved through all the openingsand pin clip 294 is used to secure pin 290 in position. Once thisprocedure is repeated on the other set of inner leg 260 and outer leg262, the support assembly 250 is rigidly secured to housing mount 200.As can be appreciated, support assembly 250 can be easily removed fromhousing mount 200 by repositioning the four pins 290 in their respectivepin housings of support assembly 250 thereby releasing the supportassembly 250 from housing mount 200.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, lift mount assembly 310 may be permanentlysecured to support assembly 250 due to the end of inner leg 260 ofsupport assembly 250 being uniformly formed with the ends of lift legs312 of lift mount assembly 310. Consequently, when support assembly 250is rigidly secured to housing mount 200, the securing of the supportassembly 250 also results in the securing of the lift mount assembly 310to the vehicle 30.

With reference to FIGS. 1-4, the blade mount assembly 40 is shown to besecured to support assembly 250 at a single location on each set ofinner leg 260 and outer leg 262 of the support assembly 250. Supportassembly 250 may be detachably connected to blade mount assembly 40. Inone embodiment, blade mount assembly 40 is simply secured to supportassembly 250 by aligning the journal holes 54 in journals 52 withjournal openings 268 in inner leg 260 and outer leg arm. Once theseopenings are aligned with one another, pin 290 in pin housing 282 ismoved so as to pass through all the openings. Once the pin has beenproperly positioned, pin clip 294 is secured into pin opening 296 tosecure blade mount assembly 40 to support assembly 250. As can beappreciated, this mounting arrangement of blade mount assembly 40 tosupport assembly 250 allows the blade mount assembly 40 to pivotupwardly and downwardly about journal openings 268 to thereby allow thesnowplow mechanism 12 to be lifted and lowered by lift mount assembly310. When the blade mount assembly 40 is to be detached from supportassembly 250, the two pins 290 are repositioned in pin housing 282thereby releasing journal 52 from inner leg 260 and outer leg 262 ofsupport assembly 250. After support assembly 250 is secured to housingmount 200 and blade mount assembly 40 is secured to the support assembly250, lift mount assembly 310 raises blade mount assembly 40 in thedesired position so that snowplow mechanism 12 can effectively removesnow and other debris from a ground surface G.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-4, in one embodiment, the design of thesnowplow assembly 10 allows for one or more of the components of themount assembly 20 to be removed and/or secured to the vehicle 30. Asshown in FIG. 2, blade mount assembly 40 is detached from the vehicle 30while support assembly 250 and lift mount assembly 310 remain secured tothe vehicle 30. This arrangement may be desirable when the snowplowmechanism 12 needs to be repaired, or if the vehicle 30 is to be usedfor purposes other than snowplowing. When the blade mount assembly 40 isthe only component which is to be removed from the vehicle 30, stand 90is positioned in the support position so that stand shoe 94 engagesground surface G. The stand 90 is then secured in position by insertingstand pin 96 through stand opening 92 and pin clip 98 is then securedinto pin openings 99 to secure the stand pin 96 within the stand opening92. As can be appreciated, when stand 90 is positioned in the supportposition, blade mount assembly 40 is secured in a rested position sincethe two slid plates 134 support the front of the blade mount assembly 40and stand 90 supports the rear of the blade mount assembly 40. As can beappreciated, skid plates 134 and stand 90 reduce and/or relieve thestress on pin 290 which secures journal 52 on inner leg 260 and outerleg 262 of support assembly 250. As a result of the reduction or removalof stress, pin 290 can be easily repositioned within pin housing 282thereby easily attaching and/or detaching journals 52 from supportassembly 250. Once pin 290 is repositioned within pin housing 282 andwithdrawn from the openings, vehicle 30 can be backed up therebyseparating blade mount assembly 40 from support assembly 250. As can beappreciated, when blade mount assembly 40 needs to be reattached tosupport assembly 250, the vehicle 30 is moved toward the two journals 52on blade mount assembly 40 until support journals 52 are aligned withopenings in inner leg 260 and outer leg 262. Once pin 290 is positionedthrough the openings, stand 90 is repositioned in the retracted positionand the snowplow mechanism 12 can once again be used for removal of snowand debris from the ground surface G.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the support assembly 250 is shown asbeing detached from housing mount 200. As shown in FIG. 3, supportassembly 250 has been detached from housing mount 200 but remainsattached to blade mount assembly 40. As previously discussed, supportassembly 250 can be simply removed from housing mount 200 byrepositioning the four pins 290 within pin housing 280, 284. Once thepins 290 have been repositioned, the vehicle 30 can be backed up therebycausing the ends of inner leg 260 and outer leg 262 to be released frommounting bracket 210. When support assembly 250 is completely releasedfrom housing mount 200, rest bolt 302 on support assembly 250 engagesthe top of blade mount assembly 40 thereby supporting the supportassembly 250 and lift mount assembly 310 on the top of blade mountassembly 40. As discussed above, when blade mount assembly 40 is to bedetached from the vehicle 30, stand 90 is repositioned in the supportposition. As can be appreciated, when stand 90 is positioned in thesupport position, the stresses on pins 290 and support openings 230 and232 of housing mount 200 are reduced or removed thereby allowing pins290 to be easily retracted within pin housing 280 and 284 thussimplifying the detachment of support assembly 250 from housing mount200.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the configuration of landing 220, lip 222 andextension arm 224 facilitate in the attachment and/or detachment ofsupport assembly 250 from housing mount 200. As shown in FIG. 4, whensupport assembly 250 is to be reconnected to housing mount 200, vehicle30 is moved toward the ends of inner leg 260 and outer leg 262 onsupport assembly 250. As the vehicle 30 is moved forward, the bottomedge of extension arm 224 engages the top edge of inner leg 260. As thevehicle 30 continues to move forward, extension arm 224 slowly guidesthe ends of inner leg 260 toward alignment with support openings 230 and232 and mounting bracket 210. As inner leg 260 moves into contact withlanding 220, support assembly 250 pivots about journal hole 54 andjournals 52 of blade mount assembly 40 so as to simultaneously movesupport assembly 250 and lift mount assembly 310 in the properpositions. Lip 222 helps to guide the bottom edge of inner leg 260 ontothe landing. Once landing opening 266 is aligned with support opening230, pin 290 within pin housing 280 is moved into position to therebysecure outer leg 262 and inner leg 260 on mounting bracket 210. Theupper support opening 270 on inner leg 260 and outer leg 262 will now bein alignment or in close alignment with support opening 232 so as toallow pin 290 in pin housing 284 to be easily repositioned with littleor no further repositioning of support assembly 250 within housing mount200. Once the four pins 290 are secured in position, support assembly250, lift mount assembly 310, and snowplow mechanism 12 are once againsecured to the vehicle 30 for snowplow operations. The stand 90 is thenrepositioned in the retracted position prior to snowplow operation. Inone embodiment, support assembly 250, housing mount 200, and lift mountassembly 310 are all formed substantially of a thermoplastic. In anotherembodiment, support assembly 250 and housing mount 200 are molded of athermoplastic together. In yet another embodiment, support assembly 250,housing mount 200, and lift mount assembly 310 are all formedsubstantially of CURV®.

Multiple embodiments have been described, hereinabove. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that the above methods andapparatuses may incorporate changes and modifications without departingfrom the general scope of this invention. It is intended to include allsuch modifications and alterations in so far as they come within thescope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

1. A snowplow assembly comprising: a snowplow mechanism having a moldboard, a structural frame and a scraper blade all formed substantiallyof a thermoplastic.
 2. The snowplow assembly of claim 1 wherein the moldboard and structural frame are molded together.
 3. The snowplow assemblyof claim 2 further comprising: a deflector flap formed substantially ofa thermoplastic, wherein the mold board, the structural frame and thedeflector flap are molded together.
 4. The snowplow assembly of claim 3wherein the mold board, the structural frame and the deflector flap areformed substantially of CURV®.
 5. A snowplow assembly comprising: asnowplow mechanism having a mold board and a structural frame; and amount assembly having a blade mount assembly, wherein the structuralframe and the blade mount assembly are formed substantially of athermoplastic.
 6. The snowplow assembly of claim 5 wherein the moldboard is formed substantially of a metal.
 7. The snowplow assembly ofclaim 5 wherein the mold board is formed substantially of athermoplastic.
 8. The snowplow assembly of claim 7 wherein the moldboard, the structural frame, and the blade mount assembly are formedsubstantially of CURV®.
 9. The snowplow assembly of claim 5 wherein theblade mount assembly is detachably connected to the structural frame.10. The snowplow assembly of claim 5 wherein the structural frame andthe blade mount assembly are molded together.
 11. The snowplow assemblyof claim 10 wherein the structural frame and the blade mount are formedsubstantially of CURV®.
 12. The snowplow assembly of claim 5 wherein themount assembly further comprises: a support assembly formedsubstantially of a thermoplastic.
 13. The snowplow assembly of claim 12wherein the support assembly is detachably connected to the blade mountassembly.
 14. The snowplow assembly of claim 12 wherein the mountassembly further comprises: a lift mount assembly formed substantiallyof a thermoplastic.
 15. The snowplow assembly of claim 14 wherein thesupport assembly and lift mount assembly are molded together.
 16. Thesnowplow assembly of claim 14 wherein the mount assembly furthercomprises: a housing mount adapted to be secured to a vehicle and formedsubstantially of a thermoplastic.
 17. A snowplow assembly comprising: amount assembly having a support assembly, a housing mount, and a liftmount assembly, wherein the support assembly, the housing mount, and thelift mount assembly are formed substantially of a thermoplastic.
 18. Thesnowplow assembly of claim 17 wherein the support assembly is detachablyconnected to the housing mount.
 19. The snowplow assembly of claim 17wherein the support assembly and the housing mount are molded together.20. The snowplow assembly of claim 19 wherein the support assembly andthe housing mount are formed substantially of CURV®.